Stir-Fried Dried Tofu and Celery

Qincai Chao Dougan (芹菜炒豆干)

Simple, healthy, and delicious Stir-Fried Dried Tofu and Celery is the perfect vegetarian option to brighten any meal with its classic aromatic flavors.

Dried Tofu is a cheap ingredient, generally sold in 1-inch-thick blocks, that is made by compacting Firm Tofu. Dried Tofu is often called Dougan or Dougan Tofu in English which is a direct romanization of the Chinese (豆干). I prefer to use plain Dried Tofu in my recipes, though Five-Spice Dried Tofu (五香豆干) is totally acceptable. A popular version of Dried Tofu used in Sichuan and Chongqing is called Cow-Hide Dried Tofu (牛皮豆干). It doesn’t really vary much in flavor from regular Dried Tofu. However, the texture is a bit leatherier on the surface and the color just a touch darker than other versions of Dried Tofu. This contrasting texture is what makes the Dried Tofu so delicious.

Because Dried Tofu is simply compacted Tofu, it has more protein per square inch than regular Tofu. It’s a healthy, vegan alternative that can be used in place of various Pork Sliver Dishes. It’s also quicker and easier to prepare than meat. Dried Tofu has low moisture, which allows it to be stir-fried well with countless different vegetables and aromatics.

The process for stir-frying Dried Tofu doesn’t really change when using other vegetables or aromatics. A simple variation of this dish is Stir-Fried Dried Tofu with Chives (韭菜炒豆干), which follows the exact same procedure as below but simply substitutes Chives for Celery. Stir-Fried Dried Tofu with Green Chilies (尖头炒豆干), likewise follows the same process. For other vegetables, such as Celtuce, Carrot, and Mushrooms, the vegetables simply need to be blanched in boiling water before or after the Dried Tofu. With a bit of practice, you could easily make Yu-Xiang Dried Tofu (鱼香豆干) by simply combining the Dried Tofu cooking process with the veggies and sauce used in my recipe of Yu-Xiang Pork (鱼香肉丝).

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 5 min

Total Time: 15 min

Serving: 2 - 4 people

Ingredients

500 grams of Dried Tofu (豆干)

1 Tbsp. Salt

1 bunch of Celery (Western or Chinese Celery)

Aromatics and Chilies
5 – 10 Dried Red Chilies
4 cloves of Garlic
1 2-inch block of Ginger

Peanut Oil

Seasonings
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Chicken Bouillon Powder
1/2 tsp. White Sugar

Brightening Oil
1/2 tsp. Sesame Oil

Directions

1.) Slice the Dry Tofu into 1-inch-thick strips and then cut these strips in half so that each strip is about 3-inches long.

2.) Fill a large pot or wok with about 3 liters of water, add 1 Tbsp of Salt, and bring the water to a boil. Blanch the strips of Dry Tofu for about 1 minute. Remove them from the water and allow them to drip dry while preparing the other ingredients.

3.) Prepare the Celery, setting the pieces aside in a bowl when finished:

• Separate the Celery into individual stalks.
• Remove and discard the leafy tops along with white base of each Celery stalk.
• Wash each stalk of Celery thoroughly.
• Run a vegetable peeler several times down the length of each Celery stalk to quickly remove the fibrous lines.
• Cut the Celery into 3-inch-long pieces and then cut each piece in half lengthwise.

(These instructions are for Western Celery. Chinese Celery can also be used, but since they are much thinner, they don’t need to be cut in half lengthwise. Also, it’s not quite as important to remove the fibrous lines from the stalk of Chinese Celery. Regardless of the type, the total number of Celery pieces should be roughly equal to that of the Dried Tofu pieces. If you would like the Celery a bit more tender, you can also blanch the Celery pieces in the same boiling water as the Dried Tofu).

4.) Prepare the Aromatics and Chilies, placing everything into the same bowl:

• Snip the Dried Red Chilies into 1-inch pieces and remove most of the seeds.
• Peel and slice the Garlic.
• Peel and slice the Ginger.

5.) Heat a seasoned wok on medium-high heat. When hot, pull the wok away from heat and add the Aromatics and Chilies. Stir-fry them for just a few seconds until fragrant.

6.) Add the strips of Dried Tofu to the wok, return the wok to heat, and stir-fry them quickly but gently for about 30 seconds.

7.) Add the Celery to the wok and toss them with strips of Dried Tofu for another 30 seconds.

8.) Pull the wok away from heat and add the Seasonings (Salt, Chicken Bouillon, and Sugar). Return the wok to heat and stir-fry everything just a few more seconds until fully mixed.

9.) Cut off the heat, add a splash of Sesame Oil, and then toss everything together once more using the residual heat from the wok. Plate the delicious Stir-Fried Dried Tofu and Celery and serve immediately.

 

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